I turned 51 a few weeks ago and three days after that my mother turned 89. Common sense and reality deserted me in my 51st year and so I went to visit my mother on both days filled with expectation and hope. On neither day would she open her eyes and look at me. I sadly took her presents back home, to save for a day when she was more here than there. I spent time with her last Saturday. I ended up opening her gifts, holding them up close for her to see, putting them away carefully for another day.
As I usually do, I put my hand on hers and on this day she was having none of that...she recoiled and gave me a nasty look as she leaned forward to scratch me. I ducked, just barely. In the next moment she called me a cow!! In the moment after that, I stuck my tongue out at her...yeah, you heard me. Not my best moment. It occurred to me as I was sitting across from her, in all the wisdom of my 51 years with my face contorted and tongue a-hanging.... oh yes siree, I'm all growed up. She stared blankly at me for a long moment and then blinked very slowly as she turned her head and looked away. As always was the case, it seems she had the last word after all. I shook my head, uttered a feeble mooooo and ambled from the room.